In the Headlights
by Eosophobia-3
Summary: On the way to a training camp (and I mean literally camping) the Karasuno team's bus crashes. Injury, friendship and even some humour, yay! No mentioned couples but could be read that way if you so desire.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Are we nearly there yet?"

Hinata received an annoyed grunt as a reply as Kageyama had given up on answering the same question he'd been asked seventeen times prior. The redhead puffed out his cheeks and turned to look out of the window at the passing trees. Coach Ukai had decided to take the Karasuno volleyball club to a one-off training camp. And when he said 'camp' he actually meant it. They'd be spending two weeks sleeping in tents in the middle of nowhere, training their bodies by hiking and swimming and learning to work together more by making fires and cooking. Said coach was quite proud of himself for thinking of such an unusual training idea and was pleased that it seemed to have peaked the team's interest and lift their spirits.

The bus they were travelling on chugged up yet another steep bank through the deep forest, spluttering and wheezing as Ukai changed into a lower gear in the hopes of making it to their destination. Three hours had passed since they'd last seen another human and that had only been an old farmer in a tractor. The blonde coach prayed that they didn't break down as he knew that neither he nor Takeda had any mechanical knowledge whatsoever.

"Whoa!" Tanaka suddenly yelled, startling Kageyama awake in the seat in front of him, "We're really high up!"

Beside the first year setter, Hinata squashed his face up against the window and followed Tanaka's awed gaze, as did Nishinoya in the back. Tanaka wasn't wrong, the gaps between the trees revealed a gaping chasm a good few hundred feet beneath the road. Pebbled disturbed by the bus bounced over the edge and tumbled violently down the slope, gaining momentum as they fell. If Ukai made a wrong move they'd be in free-fall for years! Well, at least that's what Hinata imagined.

Opposite where he and Kageyama sat, Tsukishima side-eyed Yamaguchi in the seat beside him as his freckled friend gulped loudly at the sight. Tadashi had never been a fan of heights and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the headrest in front of him. Daichi, who was occupying that seat, turned and smiled,

"Don't worry Yamaguchi, I'm sure we're in safe hands with Coach."

"Yeah," Sugawara's smiling face suddenly popped up beside Daichi, "I'm glad Tanaka's sister changed her mind about driving us!"

Yamaguchi shivered at the thought of the blonde lady zooming through the winding roads like a maniac and relaxed back into his seat, images of certain death quickly fading from his mind.

On the back seats, Asahi was nodding off as Nishinoya knelt on the seat to chat with Tanaka in front of him. They were complaining about Shimizu not coming on the trip and all of the missed opportunities to see her cooking or bathing or simply showing her _legs_. Both of their cheeks flushed at that thought but they were soon jostled from their fantasy as Ukai spotted them in the rearview mirror and bellowed at them to sit properly or walk. Two backsides flopped back down into their seats swiftly.

Defeated, Nishinoya decided to try and sleep as Asahi had somehow managed to drift into oblivion even through the excited chatter and constant jostling of the bus. The libero guessed Karasuno's Ace could probably sleep through a tsunami as long as his mattress stayed afloat. The back seat was more like one long bench and so Noya made himself a makeshift blanket with Asahi's large jacket and stretched out his small body easily. He even decided that Asahi-san's lap would make for a great pillow and snuggled down comfortably for a nap.

After another half hour on the road the rest of the team, save for Ennoshita and the other second years who were either on family holidays or at summer school and would be joining them the following week, were all drifting into dreamland. The monotonous blur of green had even lulled the ever-excited Hinata into a sleepy daze but their rest was soon interrupted as Ukai suddenly slammed on the brakes, lurching the bus and its occupants forwards as it shuddered to a stop.

"What the fu-" Tanaka started but shut up as Takeda-sensei straightened his glasses and stood up to assess the group for injury.

"I-Is everyone okay?"

A unanimous cacophony of 'yes' rang out and the teacher exhaled thankfully.

"Sorry 'bout that!" Ukai put the bus back into gear and started to drive once more, "A deer ran out into the road!"

Yamaguchi yelped, "Ah! Did we hit it?!"

His eyes sparkled with worry as Tsukishima rolled his eyes but listened for the coach's reply nonetheless.

"No! I managed to stop in time. Thank God the brakes are good on this thing or else Bambi would be toast!"

"Waah!" Hinata had his hand on his chest, "I thought we were gonna die!"

"Idiot," Kageyama clicked his tongue, "We've got seatbelts on, we're fine."

"I don't know," Tsukishima had his usual shit-eating smirk plastered on his face, "Chibi is so small he'd probably slide right out and fly straight through the windscreen."

That won him a chuckle from Yamaguchi and a glare from the redhead, who checked to make sure his belt was securely fastened.

Sugawara wiped off any drool he'd left on Daichi's shoulder when he'd fallen asleep and smiled his usual motherly expression,

"I think I'll go and ask how long it'll be 'til we arrive," he glanced at the bickering first years, "I don't know how long we can hold off the inevitable scrap."

Daichi laughed and watched the setter stumble down the aisle towards the front of the bus. The captain's eyes rested on the windscreen, or rather _through_ it, and for a moment all he could do was stare. He briefly registered Ukai and Takeda-sensei glancing up at Suga but his large brown eyes were more occupied with what he saw in the road ahead. Four deers, three does and a large stag, were strolling across the road like it was an open meadow. Their eyes glinted in the midday sunlight and, although Daichi knew the bus was headed straight for them, there was nothing he could do. It took only seconds for him to shout a warning but it was already too late.

All hell broke lose.

Ukai turned his attention back to the road a fraction too late and yanked the steering wheel sharply to the right to try and avoid a collision with the animals. The bus screeched and lurched sideways. Its momentum carried it too far, however, and the entire vehicle tipped violently, sending it tumbling across the road. It flipped once, then twice until finally skidding to a halt on its side.

The windows were almost all smashed, glass scattered everywhere, and some of the overhead compartments had opened, exposing the bags and making them into projectiles as the bus had tumbled. One of the hold-alls, perhaps Asahi's, had hit Kageyama in the side of the head and now, as the bus settled and everyone tried to get their bearings, all the setter could see was stars. He blinked and squinted to try and clear his vision until finally the blurriness subsided and he got a good luck at their situation.

The bus was lying on its side, the opposite side to where Kageyama was sitting, and he was hanging sideways from his seat, secured only by his seatbelt and armrest. The seats in front of him had come loose somehow and his left leg was trapped beneath them, painfully so. It hurt to move but he turned his body to try and assess Hinata's condition only to be struck with a lead weight in his stomach. Hinata wasn't there. The tiny redhead was no longer in his seat and the window was smashed, exposing the bright blue sky overhead. In an unusual state of panic – one he was not used to at all – Kageyama's breaths started to come too fast and the stars returned in front of his eyes. He tried to search for Hinata in the surrounding seats but could only lean a little for fear of falling out of his seat completely or further injuring his leg. He resorted to the only thing he could think of.

"HINATA!" he bellowed, pausing to cough as smoke and dust entered his lungs.

Kageyama's shouting jostled Tanaka from his unconscious state in the seat behind and he glanced around dazedly. His right shoulder hurt like hell and he had a lump the size of a tennis ball on his head but he was otherwise unharmed. Carefully, so as not to suddenly fall sideways out of his seat, he grabbed the back of Kageyama's seat and pulled himself forward with his left arm.

"You okay?" he asked the first year, trying to keep his composure as senpai.

Kageyama turned to him, face ashen. He nodded feebly and bit his lip so as not to yell out again. Noticing the empty seat beside him, Tanaka pulled himself a little higher and poked his head out of the broken window above Kageyama. Sure enough, about twenty feet away, there was Hinata. He was sprawled in the road like _he_ had been the one hit by the bus and somehow he looked even smaller than usual, like a rag-doll dropped by a child. Careful not to touch the edges of the window, Tanaka pulled himself back inside the bus and spoke with as much confidence as he could.

"He's out there. Must have been launched through the window when we flipped," he saw Kageyama's eyes bulge and tried his best to reassure him, "He doesn't look too badly hurt! Still got all his arms and legs!"

Somehow that _did_ make Kageyama feel a little better and he exhaled, not even realising he'd been holding his breath.

Behind them, still strapped into the back seat, Asahi groaned. He was hanging head first towards the side of the bus and had to pull himself sideways to straighten up. Quickly, he did a quick pat-down of his body to check for any injuries and sufficed that he was just badly bruised. He thanked whoever was looking out for him and tried to assess the carnage of what had been such a leisurely scene just minutes before. The first thing he noticed was that Nishinoya was no longer resting on his lap, or even _near_ him for that matter. No, the libero's small unconscious frame was sprawled across the sides of two of the seats on the side of the bus that was touching the ground. He looked almost like he was hovering there and the unnatural way his arms hung limply made Asahi's stomach churn.

Without thinking, the Ace unfastened his seatbelt and braced himself between the seats. He placed one foot after another on the armrests and slowly started towards his friend, all other thoughts gone from his mind. That was until Daichi's voice suddenly snapped him out of his mission-mode.

"Asahi!"

The captain's voice sounded weird somehow and it took Asahi a moment to realise that Daichi sounded _scared_. It wasn't something he'd ever associate with his strong leader and it struck him like a slap to the face.

"Don't move!" Daichi yelled.

"But Nishinoya-"

Asahi's eyes were focused on Nishinoya once more and he stepped forward another seat. That was when he understood why Daichi had sounded so scared. As Asahi took another step, the weight of the bus seemed to tilt slightly. Metal groaned and screeched and the back of the vehicle lifted slightly, like a see-saw in a playground. The Ace gulped and stepped backwards, careful not to be too abrupt with his movements. He looked forwards through the broken windscreen and watched as the gaping chasm swayed in and out of view. The bus was hanging over the edge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The slight tilting of the bus caused Tsukishima to wake up with a start. His head throbbed and his right side seemed to be pulsing with pain with every heartbeat. Ever a quick study, however, the middle blocker didn't waste time in assessing his surroundings and quickly came to the realisation that he was no longer sitting next to Yamaguchi. Or, perhaps more accurately, Yamaguchi was no longer sitting next to _him_. Tsukishima looked to his right, where his best friend had been sitting prior to the crash, and his eyes bulged. The window was completely gone, just shards of glass at the edges of the frame suggested there was ever a one there, and below was a sheer drop. The tops of trees could be seen but they seemed almost fake because of how far down they were, almost like the model trees one would see on a train set. The sight of such an extreme drop and the cold breeze coming through the window – or what was once the window – made his hair stand on end.

Across from Tsukishima, Tanaka had noticed the blonde's movement.

"Tsukishima! You alright?" the wing spiker winced as his shoulder complained against his movement but he wore a brave face for his kouhai.

"I'm fine," Tsukishima snapped and glanced around at his teammates, "Yama-" he had to pause to stop his voice from cracking, "Yamaguchi's not here..."

The others saw the panicked expression on the usually stoic teenager and no one knew what to say. The most plausiable explanation was that the freckled boy had fallen out of the broken window and down into the forest below, never to be seen again. But Karasuno was not a team to dwell on the what-ifs or the negatives and Daichi always had something up his sleeve to counter their negative thoughts.

"Maybe he's on the road outside like Hinata…?" The captain wanted to sound confident but couldn't help the way his words turned into a question.

Tanaka shook his head, "I could only see Hinata out there..."

"Maybe he's somewhere else on the bus?"

Asahi had made his way back to the rear of the bus in fear of tipping it over the edge and he balanced there nervously as they each looked around for any sign of Yamaguchi. Nothing. Tsukishima ground his teeth as his infuriation grew. There was nothing he hated more than not knowing something and the fact that that something was whether or not his best and oldest friend was dead or not was gnawing at him like a plague-ridden rat. He was about to unbuckle himself and start searching the bus when he heard a faint whisper of a voice coming from outside the bus, to his right. He leaned in his seat, making himself a little taller so that he could look over the lip of the window and there, hanging by his bag's strap like bait on a fishing pole, was Tadashi.

"Yamaguchi!"

He looked ridiculous hanging there, totally helpless, and Tsukishima promised himself that he would let Yamaguchi know that just as soon as they got him back inside the bus. The freckled teen looked up from his dangling position, tears in his eyes and blood dripping down his cheek, and managed a weak smile.

"Tsukki!" his torn and bloody hands gripped his bag tightly as he swayed slightly, legs hanging limply beneath him above the chasm.

"We're going to get you, don't move!" Daichi yelled through his own smashed window.

"I- I wasn't planning on going anywhere," Yamaguchi replied softly.

"Asahi," Daichi unstrapped himself and carefully stepped over his seat so that he was next to Tsukishima, "Help me undo Tsukishima's seatbelt."

Asahi did as he was told and unfastened the blonde's belt. As soon as he did so, Tsukishima was leaning over to the window, his arms dangling in the air as he fumbled to reach Yamaguchi's bag. It had snagged on a piece of sharp metal that had been exposed during the crash and was currently the only thing keeping Yamaguchi from plummeting to his death. Knowing the straps wouldn't last long – the fabric was already starting to fray against the sharp metal – Tsukishima reached over the broken edges of the window, ignoring the way it cut into his arms, and grabbed the strap. His right side, specifically his ribs, protested with every movement and he guessed a couple of them were probably broken but he didn't have time to worry about that now. He reached further out and could feel Daichi's strong arms supporting his long legs as he pulled on the bag strap with all of his strength.

Above him, Asahi gestured to Tsukishima's seat where a dark red stain had seeped into the fabric where he'd been sitting, but Daichi knew that there was no way the middle blocker would let anyone else save Yamaguchi. He hadn't even taken a second to think about his own safety when Asahi had loosened his seatbelt and he certainly wasn't wasting any time in pulling his friend back in.

"Tsukki..."

Yamaguchi hadn't realised he was crying until he looked up at his best friend and had to blink away the tears to see him clearly. Not only were his hands and face stinging like crazy, he was also _so_ high up. When he'd woken up a minute or so earlier he'd thought he was still dreaming and it was only when Tsukki had yelled his name that he realised it was indeed reality.

"Don't… worry..." Tsukishima gasped between breaths.

He pulled with all of his strength on the bag strap as his side screamed in protest and looked in horror as the fabric tore a little more. What if he couldn't pull him up in time? What if Yamaguchi slipped and fell? What if the bus just went tumbling over the edge into oblivion and they all plummeted to their untimely deaths anyway? Tsukishima shook his head to dispel the negative thoughts and yanked the strap upwards with an almighty tug. His glasses fell off and he watched, mesmorised, as they swooped and swayed all the way into the blurriness of the trees below. A loud _RIIIIP_ echoed in his ears and he watched as the strap completely tore in half. With only half a second to react, Tsukishima reached out and grabbed Yamaguchi's freckled arm as the bag spiralled down away from the bus like a parachutist jumping from a plane. Tadashi swung there, his bloodied hand clasped around his friend's arm, as Tsukishima and the others helped pull him back inside the bus. The two friends lay there, Yamaguchi on top of Tsukishima as the latter locked his arms around him tightly, huffing and puffing as they tried to catch their breath. The middle blocker finally positioned himself so that he could look at Yamaguchi, although everything was now just a blur of colours and shapes without his glasses, and pressed their foreheads together.

"Tsukki, I thought I was going to di-"

"Shut up, Yamaguchi."

Asahi exhaled loudly and helped Tsukishima get Yamaguchi further back in the bus before turning to Daichi,

"Now what?"

"We need to start getting everyone off the bus but I don't want the balance to shift..." the captain scratched his head as the others looked to him for guidance, "You guys stay put and I'll go and see what's happening at the front."

As carefully as he could, Daichi stepped onto the armrests of each seat and started to make his way to the front of the bus. As he reached the middle, he passed Nishinoya and decided to try and move him backwards so that the weight of the front and back wouldn't shift too much. Easily, like lifting a child, Daichi scooped up the libero and handed him back to a thankful Asahi, who took the second year and put him on his back. The captain continued forward until he reached the seat behind the driver where Takeda-sensei was still strapped in securely. He didn't look hurt, the only obvious broken part of him was his cracked glasses and Daichi was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of relief at having at least _one_ adult to help out.

"Ah! Sawamura-kun!" Takeda smiled, "Thank God you're alright! How are the others?"

Daichi nodded, "Nishinoya is unconscious and Hinata got thrown from the bus so I'm not sure..."

"Ah… Shit..." It was Ukai, "I think my wrist is broken."

Daichi's eyes widened at the sight of the windscreen. There was blood smeared across is like an oil painting and for a moment Daichi thought it belonged to someone from the team. His reasonable brain quickly told him that it was _deer's_ blood, however, and he tried to calm his queasy stomach.

"We need to get everyone off the bus before it falls," Ukai said matter-of-factly, like it was the easiest thing in the world, "We'll have them climb out the windows above us, okay?"

Daichi had stopped listening. All of his attention was now on the window next to the front seat opposite the driver. It overlooked the expanse of nothingness below and somehow it hadn't shattered but there were cracks like a giant spider-web covering it. And, in the centre of the web like a trapped fly, was Sugawara.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Daichi's voice caught in his throat as he absorbed what exactly he was looking at. Sugawara was lying unconscious on the window, which had cracked beneath him, so much so that the captain didn't understand how the glass hadn't already given way. Below Suga, Daichi could see the immense gap between the bus and the top of the trees below. The drop was at least a hundred feet down with nothing to cushion the fall but needle-like branches and the rocky side of the mountain.

"Suga!" Daichi yelled as he tried to move a little closer to his friend.

With his movement, the bus shifted slightly and Daichi froze. The last thing he wanted to do was tilt the bus forwards and send it hurtling over the edge but he needed to reach the setter and get him out of there as soon as possible.

"We'll move further back."

Ukai grabbed Takeda-sensei, despite the shorter man's protests, and ushered him back towards the rear of the bus. As much as he would prefer to get each and every student off the bus immediately, including Sawamura and Sugawara, he knew he was in no condition to lift someone who was unconscious.

The bus seemed to balance out a little more as the two adults moved back and Daichi wasted no time in climbing closer to Suga. He straddled the edge of the seats closest to his friend and tried to get an idea of his condition. Suga's face was bruised and a small cut under his right eye was oozing red steadily but it didn't look too serious. What worried Daichi more was the way blood had pooled underneath Suga's arms, more specifically his elbows. It must have been where he'd struck the glass as the spider-web of cracks seemed to originate right where his elbows lay. Trying to ignore those worries and focus on the bigger picture, the captain reached down as carefully as he could and prodded Suga's leg. He didn't want to add any more pressure to the glass as it looked like the slightest change might make it shatter into a million pieces and so poked his friend's leg once more, praying that it would be enough to wake him.

Finally Suga stirred. Pale brown eyes fluttered open and he moved to sit up, only to be frozen by Daichi's next words.

"Suga, do not move!"

Even in his half-conscious state, Koushi's brain automatically obeyed the voice of his captain and his body halted its movement. Slowly, he turned his head to look up at Daichi and a kind of half-smile made its way onto his face.

"Hi..."

Daichi sighed, thankful that the setter seemed to be mainly unharmed, "Hi."

Suga's head turned robotically to look down at the glass he was lying on and when he turned back to look at Daichi his face seemed to have paled slightly, making the blood trickling down his cheek stand out even more.

"Um… Daichi, this is bad," Suga's voice wobbled as he spoke but he didn't move.

Daichi nodded, "Yeah. But we've been in worse situations, right?" He couldn't think of one off the top of his head but it felt right to say in the moment, "I'm going to reach down and you're going to reach up, okay?"

Suga's eyes bugged out and he shook his head, soft greyish hair swishing side to side, "If I move it'll smash!"

_That's a definite possibility but we're not going to think about that right now_, Daichi thought as he shook his own head in response,

"Not if we're quick."

"I'm not Hinata, Daichi! I can't move that fast! I-"

"No, you're Karasuno's third year setter and I'm the captain so you'll do as I say, got it?"

Suga bit his lip and nodded, eyes glued to Daichi's darker ones. The setter got onto his knees, trembling as the cracks beneath him pinged and snaked out a little more, and raised his arms above his head. His fingers touched Daichi's calloused hands but not enough to be able to grab on tight. He dared one foot on the glass and stretched upwards like a middle blocker and finally got a stronger grip on his friend's arm.

The bus shifted.

Daichi felt the movement of the vehicle sliding forwards and could just make out the trees below tilting slightly as the front of the bus skidded on the rocky surface. This time though, the momentum didn't seem to be stopping. The bus continued to skid, albeit slowly, but within a minute or so it would be entirely off the road and free-falling through the air.

"Koushi!" Daichi yelled, startling his friend from his terrified daze, "You need to jump!"

"_What_?!" Suga still had his hand tight around Daichi's arm but didn't dare stand on his other foot for fear of completely smashing through the glass under him, "I _can't_!"

The sound of pebbles bouncing down the bus and over the lip of the road like rain filled their ears and Daichi could feel his composure slipping away and following them over the edge. He inhaled deeply and looked down at Sugawara with complete confidence, captain-mode dialled to the max.

"I'm going to count to three and you're going to jump and we're going to get out of this god-damned bus!"

Suga nodded feebly and shakily got to his feet. He looked down at the hundreds of cracks blooming from his feet like a giant flower and couldn't control the trembling of his knees as he reached his hands up towards Daichi. The captain gripped his friend's arms tightly and braced himself more on the seats.

"Okay. One," the bus shifted and more cracks formed on the glass, "Two," bags began to fall from the back of the bus to the front like boulders in a rockslide, "Three!"

Daichi's biceps burned as Suga jumped up. The window where he'd been standing suddenly shattered beneath him, exposing them to the elements, but neither boy had time to think about what-ifs. They both scrambled to the window above, Daichi boosting Suga out of it first, and then with an almighty screech and _BOOM_, the bus skidded over the edge of the road and tumbled down, down, down to the forest below.

Suga lay on his back in the middle of the dusty road, panting furiously. An overwhelming feeling of relief washed over him and he smiled, almost _laughed_ as he turned to check on his saviour and friend. But Daichi wasn't there. The setter could hear the rest of the team a little further down the road, Ukai had managed to get them all out safely, but the captain was nowhere in sight. He sat up, eyebrows furrowed and mouth agape as he looked around frantically for Daichi.

"Daichi?!"

Noticing Suga's obvious distress, Tanaka jogged over to his senpai and knelt down beside him.

"Suga-san! Are you okay?"

Suga looked up at him like a lost child, panic in his pale eyes, "Daichi saved me..."

Tanaka nodded, "Yeah! Our captain's the best! Where is he anyway?"

Shakily, Suga got to his feet and shuffled towards the edge of the road. He turned to Tanaka, who's face had turned ashen at the sudden realisation, and swallowed thickly.

"I don't think he got out," tears pooled in Suga's eyes as he stared into the empty space where the bus had been just moments before, "He pushed me out first. Why would he do that?" He grabbed Tanaka's collar roughly, "_Why would he do that_?!"

"Because that's what captains do. We look out for our team."

Suga turned back to look at the edge of the road, Tanaka's collar still firmly between his fingers,

"Daichi?" he looked at Tanaka and shook the second year like he was trying to steal his lunch money, "Did you hear that?!"

Tanaka nodded, wincing slightly at the pain in his shoulder.

"A little help?" Daichi's fingers wiggled at the edge of the mountainside, confirming his location and that yes, he was in fact alive, "I can't get up."

Suga finally released Tanaka's collar and darted over to Daichi, quickly pulling him up onto the road, despite the protests of his bleeding arms. They knelt there, panting and coughing until Suga suddenly karate-chopped Daichi in the ribs and pouted angrily.

"BAKA!" Suga tired to fold his arms in annoyance but his elbows throbbed painfully, "You should have just saved yourself! You could've _died_!"

Daichi was going to say something witty but at the sight of tears streaming down Suga's bloodied face he opted for a polite head-bow and a muttered 'sorry' before ruffling the setter's hair.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

As Ukai moved Takeda to the back of the bus to let Sawamura take care of Sugawara, he tried to shake off the feeling of dread that had started to pool inside his stomach. He was responsible for all these kids and instead of taking care of them he'd ended up almost _killing_ them. Being an adult was really not something he was cut out for. That being said, he _was_ the grown up in this situation and he knew the kids would be looking up to him to figure out what to do next, he just hoped he could bluff his way through it long enough to keep them alive.

With a firm look of what he hoped was confidence on his face, the coach got to the rear of the bus and looked over the teenagers gathered there. Azumane looked like he'd been in the ring with the boxing club, what with a big blackish-blue bruise under his eye and a split lip. Tanaka looked relatively okay other than a knock on his head and an arm that didn't seem to be hanging quite right. Tsukishima looked pale but there were no obvious injuries other than a few scrapes and, beside him, Yamaguchi just looked like his usual, nervous self with a few added scratches. Nishinoya was totally unconscious as Azumane held him on his broad back but that didn't worry Ukai too much. What _did _worry the coach was Kageyama. The setter's leg was pinned beneath the seats in front of him and, although he knew he would never say so, he looked to be in some pain.

It was difficult to decide where to start but thankfully Takeda-sensei seemed to have formed some sort of plan as the coach had been fretting. The teacher would have looked quite the grown-up himself if it wasn't for his bloody nose and small stature.

"First thing's first," Takeda started, "We need to get everyone off the bus. Those of you who can walk please start helping the others out of the emergency exit."

"Um..." Asahi had his hand raised, "The exit is on the right side," he gestured to the exit door that was currently resting against the road.

Takeda blanked for a moment but thankfully Ukai was ready to help.

"Then we'll get everyone out of this window," he gestured to a smashed window above Kageyama's seat, "Azumane, get Nishinoya out first and then help lift everyone else out."

Asahi nodded and quickly climbed up and over Kageyama with the libero on his back and stepped out into the cool afternoon. He was gone for only a few seconds and then his bearded face popped back into view through the window.

"Okay," Ukai continued, "Yamaguchi next, then Tsukishima."

The two friends clambered over the seats and Asahi helped them out onto the road.

"Tanaka, you next."

The wing spiker looked like he wanted to protest at going before Kageyama but a stern look from Ukai forced him outside. He gritted his teeth as Asahi lifted him out, shoulder grinding as he moved.

"Right, now you," Ukai moved to Kageyama and used his good hand to unbuckle his seatbelt, "Azumane! Give us a hand!"

Asahi jumped back into the bus and braced his back against the seats pinning Kageyama down whilst Takeda pushed on them with his hands. The teacher could sense the weight of the bus shifting beneath them but didn't want to startle anyone and so concentrated on the task at hand. On three, they pushed the seats forwards, releasing Tobio's legs, and Ukai yanked him out clumsily with one hand.

"Alright, everyone out!"

Ukai helped boost Kageyama out of the window where Tanaka and Tsukishima pulled him onto the road, followed by Asahi and Takeda. Finally, with a helpless glance to the front of the bus and a short prayer that Sawamura and Sugawara would be okay, Ukai pulled himself up and out of the window.

When the bus had plummeted over the edge of the chasm, the coach had briefly thought that the two third years were still inside and he'd almost thrown up right there and then. He thanked whoever was watching over them, be it a guardian angel or plain old luck, when he saw that the two were actually fine and turned to face a new worry.

The team was gathered around the two smallest members, both of which were unconscious on the dusty road. Nishinoya looked even more like a grade-schooler without his loud personality adding to his frame but it was Hinata that seemed even more odd. He looked like a discarded toy that someone had grown tired of and even though he was unconscious his expression was one of pain.

Daichi and Suga joined the others and knelt down beside their friends, Suga absently brushing his long fingers through Nishinoya's dark hair. As he did so, the libero's eyelids twitched and two big brown eyes looked up at the setter in confusion. He stared for a moment, his head tilted, and then whispered,

"Mom?"

Tanaka's cheeks filled with laughter but he held it in as Suga blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"It's me, Suga. Are you okay?"

"UWAH!"

Nishinoya suddenly sat bolt upright like a robot that had been switched on, whacking Asahi, who's knee he had been resting on, in the chin. Noya teetered slightly as the blood rushed from his head and glanced at his teammates as they looked at him with relief until his eyes came to rest on Hinata.

"The bus..." he croaked.

"We kinda crashed," Tanaka's smile had widened a little at his friend's return to the land of the living.

"Is everyone okay?" Nishinoya asked, despite clearly being the one on the floor.

Daichi nodded, "Mostly. We're just waiting for Hinata to wake up."

The libero got onto his hands and knees and shuffled towards the redhead. His head felt like he'd been hit with a service ace but he ignored it as he came to rest his backside next to the first year's head. He picked up Hinata's head carefully and took a deep breath.

"Um, Nishinoya, I don't think that's such a good ide-"

Asahi was cut off by a loud 'SHOUUYOOOOU!' as Nishinoya released his loudest shout straight into Hinata's unconscious face.

"What the he-" Ukai didn't get to finish his sentence as Hinata's eyes fluttered open and he stared up at Nishinoya like a princess woken by a kiss.

"Senpai?" Hinata grunted as he tried to sit up but Daichi pressed a hand to his chest to keep him down, "What happened?"

"Bus crashed. You flew out the window. Bus went bye-bye. The end," Tsukishima was getting bored of replaying the same scene over and over and so broke it down into bitesize chunks that the idiot chibi could understand.

"I 'flew'?"

Tsukishima rolled his eyes and Yamaguchi chuckled behind his hand.

"How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere?" Takeda-sensei's arms hovered over Hinata like he was performing some sort of spell.

Testing his joints and wiggling his fingers and toes concluded that Hinata seemed to be in one piece. When he sat up, however, the back of his t-shirt was completely torn away and his skin was raw and bleeding on his back and right arm and leg where he'd skidded across the road. Still, if road rash was all he had to worry about after being flung from a moving vehicle then he'd count it as a blessing.

"So now what?" Kageyama asked as he held himself up on his elbows.

"Now…" Ukai shrugged, "I have no idea."

"How about we gather all of the bags that fell out when we crashed?" Takeda-sensei suggested as he rubbed at his cracked glasses, "Maybe we got lucky and the first aid kit is here somewhere."

Those who could walk started to gather up all the bags and added them to a pile at the side of the road next to the forest. Overall there were three hold-alls, one suitcase and, as luck would have it, a large first aid kit. Ukai even managed to salvage three of the tents that had been strapped to the roof of the bus and added them to their plunder.

"Ah, that's mine!" Yamaguchi grabbed his suitcase and opened up the zip to reveal the contents inside.

Beneath the pile of shorts and t-shirts and jeans was a tiny sewing kit and a family-size bag of salted snacks. That won him a raised eyebrow from Tsukki.

"What?" Yamaguchi shoved everything back inside the case, "I get hungry when I'm outside!"

Daichi pointed his chin towards the three large bags, "What about those?"

The bags had been provided by the school and so all looked identical without looking inside, so Suga began investigating their contents. The first was Tanaka's and held mostly underwear and an extra pair of sneakers as well as a magazine with some _questionable_ images of ladies inside. The second belonged to Kageyama and contained pyjamas, two water bottles and deodorant. Nishinoya recognised his own belongings in the third bag and poured everything out onto the road to inspect. Again, it was mostly clothes but at the very bottom was a small leather pouch. He grinned widely and opened it to reveal a small cellphone.

"Eh!" Tanaka's jaw fell slack, "But we weren't supposed to bring our phones!"

Noya winked at his friend and wore a smug expression as he spoke, "There are no rules that can hold me down."

Hinata's eyes were sparkling as he mouthed 'so cool' in Nishinoya's direction.

"Should I call for help?" Noya asked Ukai as the rest gathered around in anticipation.

The coach nodded, for once thankful for the libero's rule-breaking, "Yes! Call the police! Or maybe an ambulance? Call both!"

With shaking hands, Noya thumbed the 'on' button – he'd kept it switched off in fear of it going off in his bag and being scolded for it. The screen, however, remained blank. He tried again but to no avail.

"Why isn't it turning on?" Yamaguchi asked, bloodied hands clasped in front of him.

Nishinoya's face suddenly paled and he looked up at his peers with a forced smile, "I think I forgot to charge it."

An audible _slap_ was heard as Ukai face-palmed. Well, there went _that_ idea. They were too far from anywhere to walk, especially with injured people and he didn't want to send anyone off on their own for fear of what else might go wrong. He opted for the only option they seemed to have left.

"Okay, listen up! We're going to patch everyone up here and then move into the forest to camp for the night." Moans of protest echoed through the group, "I know it's not ideal but we can't risk moving Kageyama too much and I want us to have shelter for the night." he turned to Sugawara and Daichi, "We'll set up the remaining tents and work out a plan for tomorrow, okay?"

Alternative decisions seemed to flicker before Daichi's eyes but he too realised it was probably their best option and nodded in agreement. He clapped his hands and gave everyone a task, just thankful that he had something to do. By tomorrow they'd all be safely back home with nothing but a cool story to tell. At least that's what he hoped.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The Karasuno volleyball team sat on the road in front of Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei. They looked like a bunch of elementary school children on a field trip, well if said children had been in a war of some kind. Sensei had opted to treat the injured _before_ moving into the forest partly so that they could assess the extent of the damage but also partly because he truly hoped someone would drive by and rescue them. They'd been sitting there almost thirty minutes, however, and not a single vehicle, not even someone on a bicycle, had passed. Takeda sighed, defeated, and opened the first aid kit. It was quite a well-equipped kit; bandages, plasters, gauze, antiseptic spray and even a small pair of tweezers were all present inside it.

"Okay, Kageyama first," Ukai announced as he crouched beside the first year.

Kageyama winced as the coach pulled up his trouser leg and pressed gently against his skin. His shin was roughly bruised but there was no blood, so no sign of any broken bones, and when Ukai asked him to bend his knee and wiggle his toes, Kageyama did so quite easily.

"I don't think it's broken," Ukai said, "But you won't be able to put much pressure on it. We'll find you a stick to use as a cane in the meantime."

Hinata was going to make an 'old man' comment but was silenced by a deathly glare from Kageyama. Takeda checked both Nishinoya and Hinata for concussions but, if he was being honest, didn't really know what he was looking for. Neither boy seemed lethargic or dizzy so he just hoped that meant they would be okay.

Ukai ordered the tiny redhead to lay on his stomach as the elder rolled up what was left of the spiker's shirt to reveal Hinata's scraped back. It looked worse than it was, hell it _looked_ like raw meat but once the coach brushed off the grit and dirt and used some gauze to pat away most of the blood it didn't look as drastically terrible. He sprayed some antiseptic spray on the open scratches and on Hinata's arm and leg and asked Nishinoya to lend him one of his shirts. The libero handed over a bright orange t-shirt with a singing clam on it, much to Hinata's overwhelmed joy. He wore it with pride.

Suga's cheek was gashed pretty deeply and so Daichi clumsily stuck a band-aid on it whilst Nishinoya looked over at Asahi with narrowed eyes. The ace didn't look too worse for wear; his face was bruised and swollen but other than that he just looked tired and kind of dejected, which, Noya thought, wasn't really unusual. Asahi _did_, however, seem to be sitting awkwardly. He was sitting on his butt with his long legs out in front of him but was resting most of his weight on his left arm behind him. To be honest, he looked constipated.

"Asahi-san," Nishinoya's voice made the third year jump, "Lift up your shirt."

Asahi gaped like a fish for a moment and stuttered, "Wh-Why?"

The libero launched at him without warning and yanked his t-shirt up in one swift movement, revealing Asahi's broad torso. Tanaka gasped audibly and Yamaguchi's eyes almost fell out of his skull at the sight. Covering most of the ace's upper body was a huge, ugly purple-red bruise. It snaked from his collarbone all across his ribs and down into his underwear.

"I-It's nothing, really!" Asahi tried to pull his shirt down but Noya held tight, "My seatbelt just didn't really work!"

"Why didn't you say anything?!," Nishinoya finally let go of the shirt and frowned up at Asahi angrily, "You've been lifting people, lifting _me_ and you've probably got some broken ribs, idiot!"

"Sorry..." Asahi mumbled as Daichi grinned in his direction.

"You tell him, Nishinoya!" The captain smirked at Asahi's blushing cheeks and turned his attention to Tanaka, "How's your shoulder?"

The wing spiker shrugged and then immediately regretted the gesture as his shoulder screamed at him.

"Okay, I guess."

"Come here," Suga patted the ground beside him and Tanaka obediently sat down there.

Sugawara took Ryuu's wrist and wiggled his arm lightly, his own injuries aching as he did so. Tanaka's arm didn't sit quite right and Suga immediately knew why.

"Your shoulder is out of its socket."

Tanaka nodded, "I guessed as much."

"Daichi is going to pop it back in."

"I-" the captain turned to Suga in horror, "I'm _what_?"

Suga shrugged, "Well I can't do it!" he gestured to his bleeding elbows, one of which was quickly swelling to the size of a grapefruit.

"Okay..."

Daichi gulped loudly as Hinata and Nishinoya gathered around them, sensing something was about to happen. He took Tanaka's hand and elbow and braced himself like someone about to swing a baseball bat.

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Tanaka leaned away from the third year, desperation on his face, "Do you even know what you're doing?!"

"Of course I do!" Daichi turned to Suga, pleading in his dark eyes.

"First grab his forearm tightly," Suga instructed and Daichi followed silently, "Now, you need to lift the arm slightly and then yank it firmly until you hear a 'pop'."

"A 'pop'?!" Tanaka squeaked.

"So cool!" Hinata's round eyes were glued to the scene as he trembled with excitement.

"Are you sure this is right, Suga-san?!" Tanaka asked, this time with a little less worry in his voice.

The setter nodded, "I dislocated mine once and I watched how the doctor did it. It'll be fine, trust me." He plastered his best 'I know what I'm doing' smile on and watched as Tanaka fell prey to it.

"Alright, on three," Daichi started, "One, two," he yanked Tanaka's arm hard and an audible _crunch_ and pop echoed through the group as well as a strange strangled yelp from the second year.

Both Hinata and Nishinoya clapped in awe and Tsukishima had to hold onto Yamaguchi as he teetered slightly, face ashen. Ukai had been busy attempting to wrap a bandage around his own wrist when he'd heard the squawk from Tanaka and quickly rushed over to the group.

"Jesus!" his face scrunched up in horror but both Sugawara and Sawamura were just smiling triumphantly, "You popped it back in?" he asked no one in particular.

"It was like _wham!_" Hinata beamed.

"Easier than I thought!" Daichi gave Suga a thumbs-up as Ukai rushed to make a sling for poor Tanaka.

Meanwhile, Tsukishima was spraying antiseptic spray on Yamaguchi's hands and arms where the glass had sliced into his skin. He couldn't really see what he was doing, what with his glasses having fallen into the abyss, and so he just aimed at whatever looked red. Not wanting his friend to get an infection, he then grabbed some band-aids and fumbled to unwrap them so that he could put them onto Tadashi's cut fingers. After three minutes of trying to figure out how to actually get into the damn things, however, Yamaguchi took them off Tsukki and started to put them on himself. Tsukishima noticed the freckled teen wince as he reached for another plaster and tilted his head quizzically.

"Did you hurt somewhere else too?" Tsukki asked, an unusual expression of concern on his face.

Yamaguchi shook his head, "Just a bruise from the seatbelt I think," he turned to look at his friend, "What about you? Didn't you get hurt?"

Tsukki shook his head, "Just a few bruises."

The pinch server was going to comment on the fact that Tsukki didn't seem his usual snarky self but was interrupted by Takeda-sensei clapping his hands together. He stood at the front of the group with one of the hold-alls over his shoulder and spoke with an air of authority rarely associated with the teacher.

"Okay, we're going to head into the forest to set up a camp. Those of you who can walk please help the others."

Daichi immediately headed for Kageyama and Asahi helped him onto the captain's back, much to the first year's chagrin. Nishinoya scooped his bag onto one arm and helped steady Hinata with the other whilst the rest of the team fell into step behind the adults.

They'd been walking about thirty minutes over uneven ground and slippery rocks when Ukai decided it was time for a break. He wanted to set up camp near some running water for easy access and he could just make out the sound of trickling water as they caught their breath.

Daichi almost fell onto a fallen tree as he plonked Kageyama down onto it with little grace and tried to get his breathing to a more human level. Suga, Tanaka, Hinata and Nishinoya joined them on the log and took turns sipping from Kageyama's water bottle, which he'd thankfully filled before they had boarded the bus. Asahi flopped down in the dirt in front of the log, wincing as his ribs rubbed against his skin awkwardly and leaned his head back against Noya's dangling legs. They looked like shipwreck survivors and Takeda couldn't help the 'family' vibe he got from the whole scene. Even in the gymnasium the team looked like a family unit, with Daichi and Suga at the helm, but now, in the wilderness and what with their beaten bodies, they looked even more like a mismatched group of relations.

Two members of the family were missing, however, and Ukai was about to go looking for them when Yamaguchi and Tsukishima finally joined them in the clearing. The rest moved over so that the two could sit down and the coach couldn't help but notice how Tsukishima flopped heavily, like he'd been struggling to keep upright. Perhaps he was just exhausted from pulling his best friend from certain death, Ukai was pretty sure that'd effect even the most headstrong people.

"Well," Daichi cracked his neck and stretched, "This certainly wasn't the afternoon I had planned."

"Yeah, this sucks," Yamaguchi huffed.

"Hey!" Nishinoya chirped up, "Let's just think of it as an adventure! We'll camp here tonight and then tomorrow we can go home and tell everyone how we survived a deer attack!"

"Ohoo!" Hinata's eyes sparkled at the idea of going home a hero.

"Maybe don't tell anyone it was a 'deer attack'," Suga suggested, "Sounds kind of lame."

"A bear then!" Tanaka piped up.

"Do we even have bears in Japan?" Asahi asked, a little apprehension in his voice.

"Pandas?" Kageyama asked, face deep in thought.

There was a pause as the group waited for the inevitable correction from Tsukishima but it didn't come. Yamaguchi looked at his friend, who seemed to be sweating more than the temperature would suggest, and touched Tsukki's forearm, causing the taller boy to flinch.

"Hmm?" Tsukishima blinked himself out of his reverie and squinted at Yamaguchi, "What?"

"Are you okay, Tsukki?"

The blocker felt all eyes resting on him and forced an arrogant smirk onto his perspiring face, "I'm fine. Shut up."

Ukai informed them it was time to move on and the team got to their feet once more, Daichi once again perching Kageyama on his back. The coach said it would only be another ten minutes or so before they reached a good spot and so the captain had 'taken one for the team' as it were and offered to continue to carry the first year the rest of the way.

Another five minutes of walking and Yamaguchi could tell something was very wrong. Tsukishima kept stopping to catch his breath every few steps and he was holding his left side, just beneath his chest like he was trying to keep his organs in check.

"Tsukki?" Tadashi glanced between his friend and the disappearing sight of his team in front of them, "Tsukki, are you okay?"

The blocker took one more step and his face contorted into one of pain before his eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground in a heap.

"TSUKKI!"


End file.
